Black Angel
by Once Upon A Star Trek
Summary: Tired of being rejected, Regina leaves town and becomes a superhero in our world. -Story concluded from my side. But I am taking prompts if you want to see it go on-
1. Beginnings

Regina was tired, so tired of it all. Wherever she went, she was met with hateful stares, cruel insults and the occasional pitchfork. No one saw the mayor that had kept everything going for decades, all they saw was the Evil Queen. They didn't see the good she had been doing in order to try to redeem herself for Henry. Not even he saw it. The townspeople didn't matter to her, but the fact that even her own son was poisoned against her broke the ex-mayor's heart. Outside, she always kept up the stoic mask that she had been wearing since her childhood. Only when she was home did she allow herself to break. It was not like Henry was there to witness it, he was happy at the Charmings' crammed little apartment. What was she even fighting for? Regina asked herself that question several times a day.

* * *

She took a trip to Boston to obtain adoption dissolution papers. Henry wanted to stay with his "real" mom and she would grant him that wish.

It was hard to explain the situation. After all, there had been no information on the birth parents, the responsible clerk was absolutely flabbergasted as to how a little boy had found the mother all by himself. He gave her the papers nonetheless. "Your signature goes here and the birth mother has to sign here, then it's all legal."

Seeing the papers in front of her, the brunt of the situation hit Regina full force and she stared at them like they had three heads. "Everything okay? Changing your mind?", the kind clerk asked. She sighed, trying to delay the breakdown until she was alone in her car. "I love my son with all my being. Seeing him unhappy literally hurts my heart. I would do everything for him. And if Henry wants to be with his birth mother, then so be it." "I can see how much you love your son. You have all the rights to him, you don't need to give up." Regina shook her head. "I've been fighting to get him back for a year and all it does is hurt him and me. There's no fight left in me, I have to surrender." She grabbed a pen and shakily signed on the dotted line. She wanted to cry at the finality of it all. Only a few more minutes.

Regina was about to get into her car so Miss Swan would have the papers by the end of the day. But before she could get in, she registered a movement in the corner of her eye. There was a little boy walking onto the road. He hadn't looked to both sides and a truck was speeding towards him. She screamed at him to watch out, but he froze in shock upon seeing the truck. He didn't move a muscle and was waiting for the impact, when he spotted the woman on the sidewalk staring at him.

Thoughts of Henry overwhelmed Regina. No other parent should share her pain of losing their child. Out of reflex, she slightly twisted her hand and the boy vanished and reappeared back on the sidewalk. What? How? Why did she have magic here? This was the freaking "Land Without Magic"!

She pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and ran over to the boy who appeared to be about six years old. "Are you okay? Where are your parents?", she asked concerned. He only stared at her. "Are you a superhero?" That caught Regina by surprise and made her heart flutter.

They had attracted a crowd. Just what she had needed. Before any of them could spot her face, she used a little spell on the boy so he wouldn't be able to remember her face, hopped into her car and drove away.

If this came out and Henry learned that she had used magic, he would hate her even more and the people of Storybrooke would most likely burn her at the stake. That was crazy. If only there was someone she could ask for answers, because this land's name was obviously very far from the truth. She shook her head. Maybe she had just imagined all that in her need to feel wanted, needed.

But anyhow, it had felt wonderful. Using her magic to help someone, to do good, felt so liberating. Never before had she felt like this when using her powers. Most likely because she had always used her magic for dark deeds. Regina didn't believe that there was such a thing as light and dark magic, only good and bad deeds. The sensation left her smiling to herself. Overjoyed, she drove on until she had to stop in Portland to get gas and grab a coffee.

She was just drinking her black coffee when a cry from behind startled her and had her turn around. Following the sound, she took off running. After turning around a corner, she spotted a young woman being assaulted in the dark of an abandoned alley. Without thinking, Regina gestured to the right. The attacker was pried off the woman and sent flying into a brick wall. The tall blonde man was trying to get up, but another hand gesture immobilized him on the ground.

"Thank you so much, you saved me!", the woman exclaimed. Before her face could be made out, Regina disappeared into the shadow. "You're welcome", she replied and dematerialized, only to reappear in her car. She drove back to Storybrooke without any further stops.

She was about an hour away from the small town when something on the radio caught the woman's attention. Something about a sighting of a superhero. "I didn't see her face, but I saw how she moved her hand and he flew away from me. This woman saved my life. Many of you might scoff at this and say there is no such thing as superheroes or the supernatural. But I saw it with my own eyes. I believe that it is real. And I believe that if anyone else is in danger out there, she will come save them, too."

A tear ran down Regina's cheek. It felt good to know that someone believed in you and valued you. The radio host said something about a second witness calling in. Regina easily recognized the voice as the boy from Portland. He was bursting with excitement, gushing about how he had seen her as well and how she had saved him from getting run over by a car. "Well, it appears that we have our very own superhero now", the host said chuckling and the boy and the woman immediately said yes. Regina's heart did a cartwheel at that.

* * *

Charming's hateful glare as he opened the door and spotted her and Snow White's stare of distrust brought Regina back down to reality. This was what she deserved for everything she had done. Her hand was shaking when she handed Emma the papers and she had to force herself to let go. Then she left abruptly without another word. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Later, she sat on the couch in her mansion, a glass of apple cider in her hand and probably many already in her system. She was tired of being rejected and not even given the chance to do good.

Out of town, no one had known her. There, she had been able to walk the street without being treated like a beast. She had been admired and cherished and trusted. Maybe she should continue to play the superhero role. A smile formed on her lips. She had nothing to do in Storybrooke, there was nothing keeping her here. She could leave town and no one would care, if they even noticed. She would do this.

However, a part of her was still scared of Henry's reaction, no matter that he wasn't even her son anymore. Her heart was aching and yearning for his approval and love and she wouldn't be able to stomach seeing the disgust on his face over her magic use. An idea formed in the woman's mind.

Literally every hero in Henry's comics or the movies he had watched with her had some kind of disguise to enable them to live a normal life amongst the people. So why not her? Let's see, what could she do? She didn't want some childish mask or any of these skin tight costumes they had the female superheroes wear. The former mayor faced her hallway mirror. A little gesture of her right hand and she watched her hair grow longer until luscious black curls with violet highlights reached her lower back. A blink of her eye and her latina features, her father's heritage, became more prominent in her face. Her skin darkened by just a nuance and her eyes turned brighter until they were a deep purple shade.

She would go with a black costume, black was her color after all. But she loathed to look like a catwoman copycat - pun intended. A pantsuit. The business look had been her armor for almost three decades now and she liked it. It exuded power and she felt comfortable in it. So a black pantsuit it was, paired with a pair of black stilettos.

Regina looked at her new self and smiled. She didn't recognize the woman she saw in the mirror. Now, she could actually pass as one of those fictional action heroes.

* * *

During the next few weeks, Regina stopped an explosion of a gas tank in a factory complex next to a neighborhood somewhere in Vermont, steered two airplanes clear off each other that would have collided mid-air otherwise, saved a number of assault victims across the East Coast and much more.

Her disguise worked well. She wasn't recognized and the few times someone in Storybrooke wanted something from her - which was basically only Emma when she realized Henry had left some of his stuff at her house, or the Charmings when they felt the need to check up on her to reassure themselves that she wasn't up to something evil - she magicked herself to her house and dropped the glamour spells. But otherwise, they ignored her and didn't even realize that she took off into the world often.

People outside were loving her, worshipping her. Her heart was soaring from the love of all those people.

The news had even reached Storybrooke at some point and Henry had been starstruck. A real superhero? He was absolutely over the moon, collecting everything about her, from articles over the few pictures there were.

Regina preferred small robberies, emergencies and attacks that she could stop easily and be gone before any camera would show up. She wasn't doing this for the attention, she was doing this to be good. Almost like her personal redemption. And besides, no matter how good her disguise was, she really didn't feel like risking it.

Henry paid extra attention to the news everyday, for maybe he'd see her. The boy wanted to meet her. Not her, but the hero her. If only he knew that he had lived with her for ten years. It hurt Regina that he admired some random woman using magic; but when she did, it was evil. In his eyes, Regina Mills couldn't do anything right. But the Black Angel - as they had started calling her, if only they knew what a dark demon she was - could do anything. Regina had contemplated just visiting him in her persona once, but she didn't know if she would be able to stomach the heartbreak of her son not recognizing her. So she went out saving the world instead.

* * *

_Hey everyone! Welcome to my newest story. Enjoy:)_


	2. Queen vs Queen

_Thank y'all so much for the positive feeback. You motivated me to give you this next chapter today. LG Ari_

* * *

"So this is Storybrooke? How quaint", a brunette woman in an elaborate blue gown scoffed as she strode down Main Street like she owned the town. "How the heck did she make it here? The well was sealed!", Emma exclaimed upon seeing the witch. "Hello to you, too, savior", Cora greeted coolly.

Citizens were scrambling out of the way and into hiding. No one wanted to be around when a crazy witch appeared in town. Ruby had grabbed Henry's hand and pulled him behind a parked car for safety. The boy had to witness Emma and his grandparents try to stand against this crazy woman unsuccessfully.

Charming was knocked right out by one of Cora's spells, Snow at least managed to let loose a couple of her arrows. Emma had no idea what she was doing with magic, so she was just aiming with her gun. "Do you really believe that your little toy is going to make any difference against me?", Cora laughed. "Foolish girl." With a wave of her hand, the gun was yanked out of the blonde's grip and she found herself empty handed facing the Queen of Hearts.

Compared to Cora, even Regina was an angel. Speaking of whom, if only Regina was here now. She'd know what to do against her mother. But Regina had made herself scarce, had only been spotted rarely. Seriously, where was the Evil Queen when you needed her?

Emma was ripped out of her train of thought by a spell that sent her flying into the wall. "That's all you have to offer? I'd have expected more from you fools."

Cora expected her daughter to make an appearance, but was rather negatively surprised by a brunette latina clad in black. "And who are you supposed to be?", she sneered. Henry, who was seeing everything, excitedly exclaimed: "It's the Black Angel!" before he could stop himself.

Cora snorted. Of course, she had caught up on everything happening in the world she was travelling to. But some random person dubbed a superhero by mere humans was just laughable, nothing but a sham. "I can smell the glamour spells from here. So, who are you really?", she asked. "I am the person who will stop you", the woman answered and Henry cheered. His hero was there, they were saved! The evil witch wouldn't stand a chance, he was sure.

Regina and Cora traded spells and curses, both on similar levels. Cora had little experience with Regina's attack magic and couldn't recognize her. Regina however knew everything about her mother's magic, she had been subjected to it often enough. That gave her a slight advantage. Henry's encouragement and belief gave her even more strength and steeled her resolve. They had both had the same teacher and knew similar tactics and techniques. Cora didn't know that, but Regina did. She knew what techniques and tactics her mother had been taught, and she did her best to derail her.

It went on like that for about an hour, both mother and daughter were exhausted. But the beams of energy were still exchanged between the witches, neither was willing to back down. No matter how many dark attacks Cora threw at her, Regina deflected them with her light energy. She would not let the people of this town down.

* * *

This was it. One of them would be defeated today, and Regina desperately hoped that it wouldn't be her. She released the built-up energy all at once and Cora was hit head-on. The Queen of Hearts stared in shock at the woman who let go of her glamour only to show her her true face for just one second. "Goodbye, mother." The Queen of Hearts fell.

Before anyone could say anything, Regina's glamour spell was back up and she disappeared. Henry didn't stop gushing about seeing his idol up close for days.


	3. Devil's Lair

There was no one here. The alley Regina was walking through was completely deserted. Why would she hear about an emergency when there was none? Seriously? Those were Regina's last thoughts before everything went black.

* * *

She awoke to a dull pain in the back of her skull. Apparently, whoever had decided to attack her hadn't been courageous enough to face her head-on. Coward. "There you are", said a voice Regina didn't recognize. It was a cold, calculating, female voice, full of contempt. A cold hand around her right arm pulled her out of her dreamworld and into reality.

Only then did Regina become aware of the bindings chaining her to a metal table and restraining her movements. No matter how hard she pulled, they didn't budge. Trying to blast them off with her magic backfired and left a searing pain in her wrists. "I wouldn't try that again if I were you", the voice whispered into her ear. She hadn't planned on that anyway, the pain from her first attempt was enough.

Henry and Emma had been watching Castle when the program had suddenly changed. A dark skinned brunette woman appeared on the screen, behind her a dark background. "Hello, America. Sorry for the interruption, but actually not sorry. You have probably heard news of some superhero gallivanting around the country, using magical powers. Guess what. Magic is satanic, it has no place in the world. We, the Home Office, have made it our mission to cleanse the world of magic and all its practitioners. Too long have we been operating in the shadows, it's time for the world to know our name. It took a long time and tedious work, but we captured one of those vile creatures." The camera zoomed out and Henry gasped. "Now let's begin this, shall we?", the voice said.

Regina only heard a button being pressed and her world erupted in flames. Icy needles were jamming into her body, setting her on fire, while the electrical current zapped through her tiny body. It took everything she had not to scream or cry out, but she couldn't keep the painful moans from escaping her mouth. She wouldn't give whoever this was the satisfaction. "See. This is what we do to those demons. The Home Office will not stop until every magical entity is wiped from this world."

Apparently, this organization called the Home Office had managed to hack into the major communication networks to broadcast live on every program. Every household across the country was forced to watch the electrocution of the woman they'd all grown to worship. Emma gulped at the brutality. This woman had saved them all from Cora, and Henry adored her. No one deserved this.

The button was slammed again and again, sending Regina through the worst parts of hell. This had to be what being fried alive felt like. Her back arched off the table with every jolt, she didn't even know what part of her was making these cracking noises. The intensity of the current was increased every time, the turn of the dial made her shiver with dread. She made it until about three quarters until she couldn't hold in her screams anymore.

It was horrible to watch, parents sent their kids to their rooms and directed them to put headphones on. The FBI was trying to locate the source of the signal to save the woman while the networks had their specialists try to break the feed so not everyone had to see this. However, both failed, those people were just too good for them. The President sat in his office with his hand clasped over his mouth. For he too owed the Black Angel his life, she had averted an assassination attempt.

* * *

"Do you have it?", the woman said to someone off-camera. "Yes, I've got it." Emma was shocked to see Neal enter the room. "She is about ready for the extraction, let me get set up." When she had told Henry that his father was dead, that had been a lie. Well, not exactly a lie as Neal was dead to her. And now that she knew that he was obviously in on something like that, she was relieved that he had no contact to her.

He rolled in a different machine and began to hook it up to the electrodes that were already on the poor victim's temples. Meanwhile, the woman explained to the audience. "This device is a state of the art technology we have created to enable us to fulfil our mission. It extracts the magical aura from a being which then allows us to slay the demons. Watch and learn."

Regina was writhing from another electroshock. Her face was wet with a mixture of sweat and tears. At some point, her nose had begun to bleed, mixing with the liquid. By now, the dial was on 100%. At least, that meant that they couldn't go any higher. At least, that was what she thought. Then, a pause. Before the next thing that surged through her made everything before that feel like heaven.

She was pulled apart and squished, drowning and burning, in never ending agony. She could feel parts of her soul being sucked out of her body, desperately clawing to her to try to hold on. Her magic. She could feel it leaving her body, ripping a hole into her soul, making her weaker and weaker.

As the magic vanished, so did the glamour spell, and the involuntary audience witnessed the transformation, the hair becoming shorter, the disappearance of the purple strands and the transformation of her face. "Mom?!"

Neal, who had heard everything from August, had to contain his surprise a little. He turned to face the camera. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the person you've been looking up to. To anyone who has admired this so called superhero and has wondered who is behind the moniker, may I present to you: the Evil Queen."

Regina tried to hold on to her magic for it was her only chance to break free from these crazy people, but it left her bit by bit. She felt as if she could easily squashed by a mouse. She was what she had sworn to herself she would never be.

Weak.

* * *

Refusing to sit by and watch, Emma jumped up. "I have an idea!" But before she could even say her plan out loud, a ring was heard from the screen. So someone else had obviously had the same idea, she realized when she saw Neal take the phone out of Regina's pocket (which she luckily always had with her, in case something happened in Storybrooke), accepting the call and putting it on speaker for everyone to hear. "Who's this?"

"Hello Neal. Or should I say Baelfire?" It was Rumple. Realization transformed Neal's face. "Father." Emma desperately tried not to think about this revelation. But well, if it kept him occupied, that was practical.

The Charmings, werewolves and Archie met at Gold's, after Emma had called them to meet up. The imp had looked up annoyed when the group had stormed his shop, but Emma had silently nodded to him to tell him to keep talking.

Emma's plan had been to track the call to locate Regina, so that was what she was doing now. And she found her quickly. Those guys had made camp just out of Storybrooke, the town was obviously their next destination. 'Not if I have any say about that!' She took her parents and Ruby out on a rescue mission, leaving Rumple with clear instructions to keep talking and occupying Neal, he would know when he could stop.

* * *

"Bae. My Bae. I've been waiting to see you again for so long, my son." Neal scoffed. Rumple continued. He would do his part to help Regina out of this. And if that was talking to his son, then fine. "All this time I've been trying to get to you, to reunite with my son I wanted to bring the family back together, don't you want that too, Bae?" "That hasn't been my name in forever, my name is Neal!", the man shouted. He wouldn't let the old man stop him from finishing his mission, father or not.

Seething, Neal returned to his machine, flicking a switch to speed up the extraction process. Rumple was heartbroken at the sight. His own son was hunting his kind. "This is not like you, B-Neal! I know you, you are good at heart. I'm sorry I abandoned you, don't let your hate towards me out on someone else. I was the one who let you go. And I was also the one who stopped at nothing to get back to you."

Regina was writhing on the table, just barely clinging onto the last remaining scraps of energy she had left. She didn't have much time, where was Miss Swan with her rescue squad? Rumple grew desperate. "Don't do this, Neal! You don't even know who this woman is!" "Oh yes, Rumplestiltskin, I know who she is. She is an evil witch, corrupted by the unholiness that is magic. Just like you."

"No Neal, you don't understand. I corrupted her, so that she would cast my curse, so that I could find you! This was my doing. Stop this now! Or do you want to kill the mother of your child, your half-sister?"

Neal froze, just like many people in front of their screens. "I don't…" "When you let Emma Swan rot in jail for your crime, she was pregnant with your child. She gave him up for adoption since you abandoned her, and Regina was the one who adopted your son. Who by the way is watching this whole thing. And yes, she is your half-sister, for I was played by her mother." Granny, who was watching Henry, was relieved that Regina seemed to out of it to hear what Rumple had just said. The boy however had heard it all and was gasping in shock.

Neal's face went red in fury. "So you replaced me?" "No, I didn't. I had been looking for a way to get to you for-" He was interrupted when Neal set the process on maximum speed. Regina felt like her body was ripped apart, like it was tearing at her from all sides and she might just explode.

But she didn't; the machine did, from an overload of magic. Apparently, they had underestimated the strength of her magic. The machine hadn't been designed to hold that much power and went out with an explosion strong enough to shatter Regina's restraints.

* * *

She tried to roll off the table when the woman was over her, gripping her arms with inhuman strength. Out of reflex, Regina brought up her legs and kicked her in the stomach, the sharp heels dug into the woman's abdomen and she let go before falling to the floor with a grunt. A man from the back room came running in, trying to help the woman. But then he changed his mind, stood up and pointed his gun at Regina.

"Monster! You will pay!" She had just enough time to throw herself on the ground when the shot went off, hitting Neal, who had been behind her and ready to pounce, in the shoulder. Two down. His gun was pointed at her face again. But this time, she was on the ground with a table and a wall next to her, so she couldn't escape the bullet this time. And her magic had been zapped into the machine completely. She was defenseless.

No, she couldn't think that way! She took off her shoe and threw it at his face with full force. It was a lucky throw for the impact made him stumble and let go of the gun, which Regina grabbed from the ground. She didn't want to hurt him, but she couldn't let him continue to hurt her either. Never letting go of the gun, she moved quickly, tying his hands to the table with the remains of one of her restraints. Then she did the same to the other two, hoping that there weren't more of them. Her voice was a mix of sarcasm and sadness when she said: "I'd heal you, but unfortunately, my magic is gone."

The whole ordeal had taken its toll on the small body and before she could grab onto something to hold on, her knees gave out and she collapsed from the strain. Propped up against the wall, she tried to keep her eyes open, but her view grew fuzzier and blurrier by the second.

* * *

She was almost out when red and gold came into view. 'For a savior, she's pretty damn late.' That was her last thought before completely blacking out. Emma caught her head just before it could hit the floor. Cradling the smaller woman, she had a look around. Well, she had obviously missed the party.

Snow and Charming apprehended the three bad guys, Ruby turned off their equipment including the camera before helping them lead the three now properly handcuffed people outside, where the FBI was waiting for them. Emma had called the police as soon as she had discovered Regina's whereabouts, these guys had been even slower than her. They took the three into custody and entered the abandoned warehouse with their guns drawn, always expecting more people. But there weren't, all they found was the two women amongst the torture equipment.

Emma accepted the hand of one of the officers to pull her up before lifting Regina up to get her out of here. She was surprised how light the woman was and how perfectly she fit into her arms, it was as if they were puzzle pieces.

She made to leave the room when a sparkle in the air around the burnt out machine caught her eye. It was just a hunch, but she made a beeline for the sparkly cloud and carried Regina through. The particles attached themselves to her and were sucked in, finally back in their place. The rescue squad that hadn't done much rescuing brought Regina back to Storybrooke, she desperately needed medical help.


	4. Aftermath

_Hey everyone. Just wanted to say I'm so thrilled about the amount of positive critiques. Thanks so much y'all. But as it is, I had only planned this as a short story, the following is the last chapter I had planned. However, with all this feedback I might continue. I'll be taking prompts from you readers. Would love to hear from you. LG Ari_

* * *

Emma sat next to Regina's hospital bed, hoping the brunette would open her eyes, when Henry barreled into the room. "Mom!" Emma held him back. "She's really hurt, kid. Let her rest." "Is it true?", he asked shakily.

"Is what true?" "While you were gone, Gold kept talking to the guy, Neal. Is it true that he's my dad?" Emma gulped. So he knew. "Yeah. I'm sorry I lied to you, kid. Well, it was not a full lie. I told you he was dead, and he is dead to me. He left me to rot and I didn't want anything to do with him. And I thought it would be better for you to believe that your dad was a hero than to know that he was a criminal and an asshole." "It's okay, ma. I understand. What he did to mom...it was awful." He buried his face in Emma's hair. "I know, kid. But she's gonna be okay. Your mom is so strong."

"Mister Gold said another thing. But I don't know how that can be. He said that he's not only Neal's dad. Mom's too." Anything Emma might have said about the first, her son's last sentence shut her up. "It's true", a voice came from the door. Gold was leaning against the doorframe. "I was telling the truth. They're my children." He sent Emma and Henry home to rest, promising to watch over the unconscious woman, his daughter.

* * *

Regina finally woke the next day. This ordeal had weakened her immensely and she couldn't do anything other than lay in that bed. She still had no idea that the others knew everything. She hadn't been able to notice that the whole thing had been broadcast live and that Henry knew and that Rumple was her father.

* * *

Bit by bit, her magic helped restore her strength, and Regina was able to leave the hospital by the fifth day. Emma had asked her to come by the station as soon as possible. Regina saw no point in delaying it, so she called ahead that she would be over in a couple of minutes.

During her walk through the town, she felt off. The atmosphere had changed. There was no hate in people's stares, there was...kindness? Admiration? What the hell had happened to the townspeople, had she somehow been sucked into a mirror universe? It felt surreal.

At the station, Emma Swan greeted her kindly and hit a key on her computer, whose screen now showed two officers in FBI uniforms. "Miss Swan, would you please tell me what is going on here?", she asked the sheriff. One of the men on screen spoke up. "Good day, Miss Mills. I am Lieutenant Summers, this is Officer Vuorinen. We were set on your case." "How is the FBI involved in that? I don't understand."

"Well, the organization that kidnapped you, they call themselves the Home Office. They are convinced that magic needs to be purged from the Earth. They hacked every major network and broadcast your torture on every national channel." Her hand clasped itself over her mouth in shock. "He...Henry?", she anxiously asked Emma. "He saw it all." With all the air knocked out of her lungs, Regina sank into the chair. "So he knows." Her hands grasped her hair as she shook her head. "The whole point about this charade was so that he wouldn't see me doing magic. So that he wouldn't be repulsed by me. He must hate me even more than before."

Emma gently stroked the rocking woman's back. "He doesn't. He was shocked when he found out. But he doesn't hate you. He came barreling into your hospital room as soon as we got there, he's been worried about you. Do you know how much he worships his personal superhero?" "Yes, he worships a fictional character. My magic is 'evil', even though it's the same I've been using this whole time." Regina chuckled darkly. What point was there for her to go on, she had lost her son forever.

The two FBI guys asked only a few questions to complete their paperwork. There wasn't much that they hadn't seen after all. Finally, they bid the women farewell and signed off.

The sheriff got up, she wanted to pick up Henry from school. She thought Regina would like to come with her, but the brunette stayed sitting. There was no way Henry could ever love her again. Her light in the darkness was gone. Emma shrugged and left to get Henry. She took him back to the station.

The opening of the door caught Regina's attention. Still slumped in that chair, she expected to be run through with a pitchfork and set alight with a torch. She wasn't prepared for a small body slinging his arms around her. "Mom!"

The love in Henry's voice broke her dams and she wept with joy. She slung her arms around the boy and held on tightly, like he was her beakon. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry", she whispered again. "It's okay, mom", he answered. "I love you."

He pulled away to look her in the eyes. "You know, I absolutely adored the Black Angel, and her light magic. And now that I know it was you, I realize that if I had known earlier, I would have hated that you use dark magic. But it was you all along. You have so much good in you. I'm sorry that I never saw it." Regina didn't bother wiping away her tears. She couldn't care less that there were people in the room seeing her weak, because her boy, her little prince, was back in her arms.

Their moment was interrupted by Emma's ringtone. "That's Gold. He wants to meet you at his shop. There is something he wants to tell you, Regina." "What is it, why doesn't he just say it over the phone?", Regina asked confused. "Look, everyone else already knows this. But this is between the two of you and it's important that you hear it from him. So let's go. Want me to drive you?" The brunette nodded thankful, considering she had walked here from the hospital and Gold's shop was nowhere near the station.

* * *

Gold was already waiting for them at his shop and waved them over to follow him to the back room. "It's good to see you up again, Regina", he greeted them. The imp was nervous, Regina could tell from the way he was wringing his hands. What could he possibly have to tell her that made even the Dark One nervous? "There are two things I have to tell you. You might want to sit down for this." Regina complied and sat down on the cot, while Rumple took a deep breath.

"Alright, the less shocking one first. The man who operated the machine that stole your magic. His name here is Neal, but he was also known as Baelfire. He is my son and Henry's father." Wait, what? That would...that would make Rumplestiltskin Henry's grandfather! Regina looked over to Emma, silently pleading to her to tell her that he was just joking. But Miss Swan nodded. Rumple continued, he wanted to get this second thing over with as soon as possible.

"The Blue Fairy gave my son a magic bean that would bring us to a Land Without Magic. He wanted to come here so that I couldn't hurt anyone with my magic anymore. But I was a coward and chose power over my son. He arrived here alone. I regretted it as soon as the portal closed and I've searched for a way to follow him for centuries. And I found it in you. That was the reason why I wanted you to cast this curse, so that I could finally reunite with my son.

Let's just say, when I found him, I almost couldn't recognize him. For all this time, I've been trying to get to him, and then there he was, just as dark as I was. That man who tortured you had nothing in common with the boy I loved. And I realized that I shouldn't have obsessed over my son, I should have given my devotion to the daughter I already had. You."

"Hell, no!" "Yes. I am your father." The air in the room seemed so much thinner all of a sudden.

"I know, I had so many chances to tell you since the curse, but I was scared." "And why the sudden change?" "Everyone else already knows. When you were forced to reveal yourself, I got the idea that I could talk to your capturers. I called your phone and Neal picked it up. I kept him occupied while Miss Swan located you and brought her super successful rescue team. It just came out of my mouth. Everyone who watched knows." Oh wonderful! "I am so sorry for ruining you, just to get to Bae. I know you have no reason to, but please at least consider letting me into your life. I want to be the father you deserved."

* * *

Regina worked out a shared custody with Emma. They actually managed to not fight, eventually even becoming friends. The latest revelation had changed the townsfolk's minds about Regina, they didn't despise her anymore. She did try to get used to Rumple as her father. They had a few family dinners.

He also helped her research for the reason why her magic worked outside of town. But they didn't find anything, there was seemingly no reason why she could use her powers and no one else could. The only theories they had come up with so far were that either the death curse she had absorbed from the well had interacted with the town line, allowing her to keep her powers, or that she was simply too powerful for a simple border to take her magic. Well, it was how it was.

* * *

It was weeks after the whole thing and no one had seen the Black Angel again. And they couldn't blame her. Who wouldn't want to hide away from the world after going through this kind of ordeal?

But then, she was back. Without a disguise. For this was who she was. The only reason for the glamour spell was so that her son wouldn't hate her for continuing to use magic. And now that Henry knew it was her, what point was there in disguising herself? This was who she was, and she wouldn't hide anymore.

* * *

It was months later, on February 14th, and Regina sat in her living room. It was Valentine's Day, and thus, all the couples would go all lovey dovey and romantic. All the hearts and roses made her nauseous, so she opted to stay at home and avoid the overbearing sweetness. A little was fine, but Snow White had gone over the top.

The silence was broken by a phone call. Something to do, wonderful.

Once at the scene she had been called to, Regina didn't believe her eyes. There were red rose petals on the ground, shaping a heart. In the middle, Emma Swan. "I think I have a type. For Rumplestiltskin's children", the blonde joked.

"Regina, will you do me the favor and go out on a date with me?" The brunette just stared, this came as a total surprise. "I've been wanting to ask you out for a while, but always chickened out. But I don't wanna waste anymore time. So, will you say yes for me, please?" Regina grinned. "No need for the puppy eyes, Swan.

The answer is yes."

* * *

_Soooooo now that you've read everything that my brain had to offer for this, it's your turn. What could happen now for superhero Regina? Or developments in Storybrooke? Or the beginning of an SQ romance like started in the end?_


End file.
